But Levein insisted a deal was “not inevitable” and refused to say whether Rangers’ former Hearts left-back Lee Wallace might be used as a makeweight in any transfer.

“We’re still speaking to Rangers about the situation,” Levein said. “I don’t want to go into any details.”

The 30-year-old Northern Ireland striker is believed to be keen on a return to Ibrox, but has remained fully committed on the field, scoring a winner against Celtic last weekend.

“He seems happy enough,” Levein said. “I’ve not had any problems with him. He certainly looked to be smiling on Saturday anyway, that’s for sure. We’re in discussions all the time. Obviously the situation is not of our making and we’ll see what happens.

“There’s no point in me going over any details. Things are ongoing. It’s not inevitable.”